I am new at this...

[behindthefrogs]

Around 1600 visits (visitations) were made by the heralds from the college of arms about every 50 years to confirm that people who were using coats of arms were entitled to use them.  Keeping it simple, these visits resulted in pedigrees of at least three generations being collected for each family.

These pedigrees together with a formal description of the coat of arms (a blazon) were published around 1900 by the Harleian Society and many of them can be found on line.

Soneone who used the title esquire was a gentleman.  Many but not all gentlemen had coats of arms.  The term derives from the rank of squire who was a young man who attended a knight and often was himself later knighted.

I would recommend that you get hold of a reference book on heraldry either from the library or if you can afford it purchase one.  A good one will explain all the terminology, how a blazon is constructed etc.  I use "Heraldry" by Stephen Friar which is a history Handbookpublished by Sutton Publishing but a new copy will probably cost about £20 now.

David

[Carole in Dallas]

I plan on purchasing that.  This teminology is so foreign to us in the US, but it seems to be an integral part of my history.  Thanks again for all of the help. 

[Stephen J F Plowman]

Another book by Stephen Friar that I found very useful is his Dictionary of Heraldry.

The Visitations of the 17th & 18th century referred to by BTF were carried out by the Heralds from the College of Arms.  The “modern” Visitations recorded in the 19th century by Messrs Howard and Crisp were a private venture and are not authoritative.  Like Burke’s Landed Gentry they provide a useful genealogical tool but cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate with regard to the ancestry or heraldic entitlements.

I and others have compiled a list of scanned heraldic books that are available online.  The list can be found at:
Online Heraldic Resources

[SBZ5809]

There's an explanation of heraldic terminology at http://apl385.com/gilling/herldref.htm

[Carole in Dallas]

SBZ...that website is wonderful!  It takes us step by step explaining all that we need. Thanks EVER so much!!! And a particular thanks to Stephen, David and Nell.  Little did I know how easy this was going to be learning about my relatives.  I did remember being related to a Viscount because my uncle would always list that in the obits...but finding out more about this entire family has truly made me want to visit on an extended vacation.  It truly has.

[Carole in Dallas]

What is even more fascinating about all of this was that I was drawn to those symbols that actually were part of my family's crest....while I was doing a large remodel.  I decided to have all of my floors redone in marble, travertine and granite and picked the same symbols for stone inserts into my floors and behind my stove that actually had been in many of these English family's crests.  I wanted a stone griffin behind my stove.  My husband could not understand WHY I liked these stone casted griffins for a stone wall behind my stove and why I wanted fleur de lis designs in the marble floor in the kitchen and the main entry way.  I had not even started doing any research into these lines at all.  I had no idea that these symbols permeated many of my lines. Interesting to say the least.

[Dai_B]

what should be remembered is that a coat of arms is bestowed on a Family and not a name. Unless you are descended by bloodline through  whatever rules apply you are not entitled to use the coat of arms.  Whatever the modern heralds  of  Internet commerce say, only very few people in reality are entitled to use the coat of arms bearing their name.

see this link
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/guide/her.shtml

Dai

[Carole in Dallas]

It is interesting the development of the rules which pass a coat of arms on to the next family member.  Isn't it usually the eldest male that it passes on to?

[Stephen J F Plowman]

It is interesting the development of the rules which pass a coat of arms on to the next family member.  Isn't it usually the eldest male that it passes on to?

Yes and no.  The eldest male inherits the "undifferenced" Arms and his siblings should display a cadency mark to show their relationship to the main family line.  In English heraldry this is usually ignored but in Scotland the siblings have to petition for their own "new" Coat of Arms.